The New Olympiad: High School
by SpellboundX
Summary: The Twelve Olympians are teenagers in the modern day United States. This is the chronicle of their trials and sufferings through the maze worse than Daedalus’ Labyrinth: High School. UPDATED with extra character reference list.
1. Chapter 1: iPod Wars

Chapter One- iPod Wars

"I know, that's totally what I told him! And you should have seen the look on his face! PRICELESS!!! So then like to make it worse he just totally has to try to cover it up so he's all 'Um so I was uh just uh' and I'm like 'Sure kay well I'll see ya around then' an he got all shifty like uhhhhh an I was like 'Was there something else?' and he was like 'NO!' so I was all 'Bye'."

Kelsey paused for breath before rushing on with her story about Darren trying to talk to her during lunch. I shook my head. Darren had been following Kelsey around since first grade, and it hadn't even stopped when we hit high school. Now we were sophomores, and he was still making attempts to get friendly with her.

Then again, he wasn't the only one. Just the most persistent.

We were walking to the busses after our second day of school. It had been interesting. Already about ten boys that she barely knew had proposed to Kelsey. It had been this way since the hormones kicked in, and she went through boyfriends like I went through books.

"Oh no, there he is! Hide me!!!" My strawberry blonde friend attempted to hide behind my book bag, which didn't work out so well, since I clock in at a startling 5' 2 " and she's almost 5' 6". We make an odd pair, but seeing as I'm the most intelligent one of my friends, I can see that she needs a steady friend that isn't as disposable as the boyfriend of the week.

We managed to get into the bus and I slid into the seat next to her, just to be promptly knocked out of it as a horde of testosterone-infused teenage boys swamped her. I grudgingly moved to the back of the bus and sat down in an empty seat next to the window, frowning at the reflection that looked back at me from the glass.

Wide grey eyes lined with black eyeliner stared back at me through black horn rimmed glasses. A stray strand of blue hair fell onto my unnaturally pale cheek and I brushed it away with a black-nailed hand. The multiple piercings lining my ears glittered in the afternoon sun and I lowered my head to avoid getting it into my eyes.

That's when he tapped my shoulder.

I turned with a scowl ready at my charcoal lips, but then froze. This was a boy I had never seen before. I could feel his stunning hazel eyes looking me up and down. I have no doubt that he took in the black skinny jeans, the scribbled-on Converse, the general 'fuck off' attitude. But what struck me was that he didn't sign me off immediately, like everyone does. He just finished his cursory glance and asked me politely, "Is anyone sitting here?"

His voice. That was the next thing that hit me. It wasn't particularly deep, or high, or velvety, or anything. It was just as if he knew some hidden secret, some joke that you didn't, but he was dying to just give away the punch line so that he could laugh with you. It took me a few seconds to remember that he had asked me a question.

"Um, no. No one is sitting here." He flashed me a smile and sat down. The smile, like his voice, wasn't a glowing, beaming grin. It was just… nice. His eyes sort of crinkled up and his cheeks lifted.

Who was this kid? I had never seen him before. He must be new. But the better question was why did I care? As he was getting himself settled I got a chance to really look at him.

He was tall, with brown hair, cut relatively short. It looked like he had run his fingers through it several times during the day. His skin was several shades darker than mine, which showed time on the beach, and his watch looked fairly expensive. Rich kid, then. He was wearing baggy dark jeans and some kind of dark shoes. When he turned around, I saw that his black shirt had METRO STATION scrawled across it.

I looked back out the window, trying to forget about the boy sitting next to me. Uncharacteristic. It wasn't working, so I pulled out my purple iPod and _LO!_ by Charles Fort. I put it on shuffle and _Hum Hallelujah _by Fall Out Boy came on. He glanced at it, then looked closer. He looked at me and motioned towards it. I nodded apathetically and he picked it up.

I watched him out of the corner of my eyes as he scrolled through my music. His eyebrows rose and a smile gathered at the corners of his mouth. He selected a different song, and my momentary annoyance was replaced by concentration and apprehension. He had chosen _Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?_ by Fall Out Boy again. He was trying to tell me something. It took me less than a second to understand. I handed him an earphone and navigated through the iPod.

_I Don't Care_. Fall Out Boy again. He smiled and took the iPod.

_We Can Work It Out_ by the Beatles. I scowled at him, annoyed with this already. But he was there with his smile. It caught me off guard and I reluctantly gave in.

"I'm Sophiyanna." I glanced at him from under my electric blue bangs and added, "But you can call me Sophie."

He laughed. It was a soft laugh, velvety, and utterly remarkable. I thought to myself that I would like to hear that laugh again. I immediately banished the thought. I had no place to be thinking that. This boy was just another boy. There was no reason to go breaking… things just because of him.

"I'm Mercutio." He winced. "I generally go by my middle name though. Call me Zach. I'm pleased to meet you, Sophie."

This I was not expecting. He had given me his name and called me by the name that I had told him to use when addressing me.

I put my nose back in my book and attempted again to ignore him. It was only when the song abruptly changed that I remembered that he still held my iPod. Gods.

Framing Hanley. _Hear Me Now. _This was getting obnoxious.

_Beat It (ft. John Mayer)_ by Fall Out Boy.

_Heartless_ by Kanye West.

_Strange Boy_ by Kerli.

_Apologize _by OneRepublic.

_That's What You Get_ by Paramore.

_Good Company_ by Queen.

_Don't Trust Me_ by 3OH!3.

_Know Your Enemy_ by Green Day.

_Get Over It_ by The Eagles.

_Teen Titans Theme_ by Puffy Ami Yumi.

I looked at Zach questioningly after this last choice. He shrugged. "I could tell I was loosing, so I gave up. Figured that if I'm gonna go down, I'm gonna go down in flames." He smiled again. It must be nice, to be able to smile nicely, I thought.

I looked out of the window, and to my intense relief I saw my stop up ahead. I started packing up my books and as I was shoving _LO!_ into my bag when another Beatles song came on, this time _Hello Goodbye_.

"Tell me about it," I muttered darkly under my breath. The bus stopped and I pushed my way to the front, grabbing Kelsey out of some senior's lap and hauling her down the stairs after me. I didn't turn around.


	2. Chapter 2: Meet the Family

Chapter Two- Meet the Family

Kelsey was still giggling at some lame joke that her new senior friend had told her when we got to the front door of our house. Yes, our house. We live together. With a few other… kids.

The first thing we saw when we came in was Heather. She's a senior; honey colored, gently curling hair, bright blue eyes, and about my height. She's the perfect "mom" for us. She cooks, cleans, and makes sure that everyone has clean socks.

Right now she was in the kitchen in a warm yellow apron preparing what smelled like some sort of Italian pasta with a lemony garlic sauce. Yummy.

We passed through the living room to the stairs and had to press ourselves against the wall as Mikayla shot down them at sixty miles per hour, cleats and soccer ball in hand and brown ponytail whipping against her back in the wind she created. She was the sporty one, playing just about every sport known to man. And woman. Never forget women. She's a bit touchy that way.

"Whoa, Kayla! Watch it will you?" That was Aiden, her twin brother. They were both freshmen. He closed the front door after her and shook out his long blond hair. He grinned at me with his perfect white teeth and his bright green eyes sparkled, then plopped his long, tan, lanky body down on the couch beside Calder and started polishing his trumpet. Apparently there was a football game tonight. He would be playing in the marching band.

Calder nodded lazily at him and went back to changing channels. He's one of the seniors, and probably the dumbest. Laidback with sandy hair and cloudy blue eyes, he was a straight C student and didn't care about it.

I had just started up the stairs when Garret pushed past me without a "Sorry sis". He's my brother, but we look nothing alike, thank gods. He's a trouble maker, but not a crafty prankster. Leave that to Isaac. He's just the type that will pick a fight with anyone that looks at his flaming red hair, dark brown eyes, and 6' 1" muscular frame too closely.

He passed Kelsey and winked at her. She giggled harder and waved at him with her fingertips. Although he's my brother and a year older than her, not to mention her unstoppable suitors, she and him have always had a thing going. I just don't get it.

I shook my head and continued up the stairs. I passed little Isaac's room and glanced in. The little seventh grade terror wasn't in right now. He was probably off cooking up some spectacular heist in the tree house he had bribed Mikayla to build for him. That was an interesting story.

Basically, he told her that if she would build him the tree house, he would play soccer with her. She wanted the chance to pummel him, so she agreed. He ended up challenging her to a game if Xbox championship soccer and beat her 7-1. She was furious.

I liked the little kid. Sure, even his freckles, brown floppy hair, and innocent green eyes spelled out MISCHEIF, but he had brains for one so young by comparison.

But the only one in Isaac's room was Juniper. I didn't like June, as Don called her. She was always jealous of his latest fling, and always plotting some sort of revenge on anyone that had done her wrong.

She turned her light green eyes on me and stopped scrubbing the gunk-covered windows of Isaac's room. She tucked her long, chestnut hair behind her ears and asked me with her rich voice, "Yes, Sophiyanna?"

"Just looking for Isaac, Juniper." That annoyed her.

"I've asked you to call me June."

"I've asked you to call me Sophie."

She glared at me. No one really liked to disagree with her, which was sensible, in regards to her reputation of her treatment to those who crossed her. I just nodded slightly and left the little boy's room.

Blake passed me in the hallway. If I looked scary to some, he looked positively deadly. Which he was, of course. Always alone, always muttering to himself; the perfect image of an outcast. Hair so blonde that it was almost transparent set off with eyes so dark blue they almost looked black. His skin tone was almost paler than mine, which was hard to get. Dressed in somber black, he opened the trapdoor to the attic and climbed the ladder easily with his long, spidery arms. 6' 3" and less than 100 pounds, I could pick him up and throw him off a building f I wanted to. He shut the door, still murmuring, and I continued on my way.

I came to the door at the end of the hallway, painted dark grey. My hand was on the elaborate doorknob when I heard unsteady steps on the dark paneled wooden floor of the hallway. I sighed and turned. "Sam, already? It's barely three."

The 5' 8" junior smiled widely at me and his blue/grey eyes took a minute to focus on my face. I groaned and took his arm. I dragged all 160 pounds of him to his room a few doors down and opened the door. Don was sitting on the floor near the chest of drawers, pulling out six-packs of beer from under it. He took in the scene and got up to help me.

"How long have those been under there?" I asked Don as he placed Sam on his big bed.

The big football player turned to me and brushed his dark hair out of his bright blue eyes with a big hand. He said, "They're still kind of cold. I'd say a few hours." My eyes narrowed. I knew what that meant.

I turned to the curly-haired mess on the bed and stated firmly, "You skipped school." He looked at me pleadingly, and I told him in a stern voice, "That wasn't a question. It was a statement." When he wilted I turned to Don and looked him in the eyes, a good foot up from mine. "This can't go on," I told the senior. He nodded and pulled out his cell phone.

"I'm calling Eric," he said. "I want him to keep an eye on Sam for a few days. No more underage drinking. You know what that could mean for us."

"I know."

Don nodded and left Sam's room. I took another look at the big lump, now snoring, and left as well. Eric had all of his classes with Sam. He was more than capable of watching after Sam, being 6 feet tall and a lacrosse player.

Finally, I thought, as I walked into my room. It was the last one on the hall, so I got a whole wall of windows. These were covered with heavy black drapes at night or when the sun got too hot. Right now, the French windows were open and the drapes were fluttering in the slight autumn breeze. A few red and yellow leaves had blown in, and I crossed the room to pick them off the dark mahogany floorboards and throw them back out the window.

The two walls on either side were completely filled with large black bookshelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling. They were packed with books of every genre and author imaginable, candlesticks with half-melted candles, various pairs of glasses, multiple notebooks and pens, and in the corner, a large antique grandfather clock.

The bed was pushed to the wall: a small full four-poster bed hung with red, black and dark blue. Constellations were painted on the ceiling, a dark blue rug covered the floor, and the door to the closet was painted the same dark grey as the walls and the main door.

I dumped my schoolbooks on the desk on the other side of the door from my bed and walked onto the small balcony outside the window. The leaves were turning beautiful shades of red and yellow, but the air was getting a little cool, so I went back into my room.

XXXXXXX

4:00 found me hunched over my desk, furiously writing my English essay. We were only supposed to do the outline today, but hey, I get carried away. I finished in ten minutes and leaned back in my chair, stretching. I had finished all of my homework for the week, so I decided to curl up with a good book. I plugged my iPod into my laptop and set it on shuffle. Several minutes and decisions later, I settled with _A Countess Below Stairs_ by Eva Ibbotson.

I was reading rapidly and happily when _Strange Boy_ came on iTunes. I looked at it sharply. I didn't want to think about him. After all, he was just a mortal boy who happened to have a nice laugh. I tried to go back to reading, but it was useless. I got up to change the song, but movement caught my eye.

I turned to the bookcase where I had seen the motion, and my eyes got wide.

Calder and Aiden looked up with raised eyebrows as I ran screaming down the stairs and into Heather's arms screaming "SPIDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

In my room, unknown to me, the song finished and Fall Out Boy's _The Carpel Tunnel of Love_ started playing into the emptiness.


	3. Chapter 3: Battle on the Bleachers

Chapter Three- Battle on the Bleachers

A few of us decided to go to the football game. Garret and Don were playing, Aiden was in the band, and Kelsey was cheering. Besides that, Sam, Eric, Isaac, June and I went. We left Mikayla because she wanted to go to the public pool for a swim, Heather to hold down the fort, Calder because he was too lazy to move, and Blake because… well, Blake doesn't do well in a crowd.

We were the Jump City Ravens: colors purple and black, mascot a giant black bird with evil looking red eyes on a hugely disproportional head. _[AN: did anyone get that reference?] _I changed into my purple and black checkered skirt and purple tank for the occasion. Go team.

We were playing the Kyranstown Coyotes. As Eric parallel parked his black convertible near the curb a few streets down from the school, I took the time to people watch. Apparently the Coyotes were a party school. I saw more underage drinkers in those three minutes than I saw behind the bleachers during PE.

After we all piled out of the car, we started walking with the red and purple crowd towards the stadium, some more steadily than others. We flashed our student ID's and got ourselves seated just in time for the national anthem. Aiden sang it, and I swear, half of the females in red swooned on the spot. Not only is he exceedingly handsome, he sings like an angel. There was a roar of applause when he was done and he bowed modestly and returned to his spot on the bleachers with the band.

June rolled her eyes and I allowed myself a small smile. She was jealous of his popularity and she showed it. She flounced off her seat and announced that she was going down to the track to socialize. I watched her go.

She was pretty enough, I suppose. Tonight she was wearing light blue jeans and a flowing purple top. She wasn't skinny like Mikayla, but she was slender and she had delicate curves. And a good fashion sense, I suppose. But watching her with her popular clique in pastels, curls, and flavored lip gloss, I really didn't see much to aspire to in that group.

I was distracted by the game. Garret was sprinting down the field, his arms open. A huge, dark player in the dark purple home jersey threw the ball to him and he crossed the touchdown line with a few steps.

The bleachers erupted in cheers, the cheerleaders fluffed their pom-poms, and the band tooted out the fight song. We had just gotten settled back in, waiting for the extra point, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I held up a finger; Don was kicking. The tapping stopped, and Don scored.

More cheering, and Garret and Don thumped chests. The announcer yelled "And we have another double kill from the diabolical duo: give it up for the Lucilius brothers!!!!!"

A soft voice murmured in my ear over the roars, "Sophie Lucilius… interesting name." I recognized the voice, but did not turn around.

"Mercutio. What a surprise." I replied.

He growled at me playfully, and I reluctantly turned around. He wore the same clothes he had been wearing on the bus, plus a purple spirit wristband. "Decked out, aren't we?" I asked him dryly.

He laughed and I fought to keep my self control. What WAS it about this boy? I had sworn long ago… and I didn't plan to break that oath. So I arranged my features into a stony mask and waited to see what he would do.

He sat down next to me and pulled out his iPhone 3GS. My observation from earlier was correct, then. Rich kid. I ignored him for a while, concentrating on the intricacy of the plays being performed in front of me.

It was pretty obvious, to me at least, that we were going to completely annihilate them. What a pointless waste of time for them to come all the way to Jump City just to lose this badly. I could see every possible move, the more probable ones, the wiser ones, the fragility of the mortals playing, what would happen if each was taken out and at what time. This is what I do in my free time, basically.

I was interrupted in my musings by Zach. He handed me an ear bud with an expectant look. I glared at him. He had better have good music on that.

_West Coast Smoker_ by Fall Out Boy. So he had them too. Maybe his music selection would be all right.

What confused me though was his choice of song. Then it hit me- the best part of the song was the bridge, where Wentz screams "**I'M A NERVOUS WRECK**" about five times. It's awesome. This boy must be smarter than I thought. He had noticed not only my extensive selection of Fall Out Boy songs but also the hoodie I was wearing. It was Clandestine- Wentz's clothing line. I was impressed, in spite of myself.

So he was nervous, huh. About what? I stole the iPhone and scrolled through his music. I was shocked to find most of my music on there, and some that looked extremely promising as well as some that I had heard but not had a chance to buy yet.

I glanced at Zach out of the corner of my eye. He was supposedly paying rapt attention to the game while enjoying the music on his iPod, but he wasn't fooling me. I could see his eyes flickering towards me for milliseconds at a time. I noticed the way his hands clamped on the edge of the seat, his knuckles white. I saw that the leg closer to me was turned out at a slightly wider angle than the other. He must be nervous about me.

I'm quirky that way.

I searched through the unfamiliar songs and found one that seemed to fit. His eye brows rose as he recognized _Body Language _by Queen. He shifted in his seat as he realized what I meant. He took the iPod back and quickly changed it to The All-American Rejects' _Move Along_.

I smiled as I interpreted his meaning. He was telling me to move on.

Although I could barely admit it to myself, I liked this little game.

The next FOB song I chose made him smile. _You're Crashing, But You're No Wave_.

_Camisado_ by Panic! At the Disco. This one puzzled me, until I realized that he wasn't using the title. He was using the message, which is about a man with many, many issues in a hospital. It was actually written about the father of the lead singer (Brendan Urie) who was an alcoholic.

I found Evanescence and selected _Tourniquet_. A tourniquet is like a bandage used to stop bleeding and keep bones in the same place before a proper cast or split can be set.

He shuddered and quickly changed it to _I Write Sins Not Tragedies_. P!ATD again.

At this, I broke the spoken silence between us. "You write?"

He nodded and replied, "I'm a lyricist. I had a band in my old school, but then we moved to Jump City and we couldn't keep it up over the distance." He shrugged. "They'll make it on all right until we find a way to keep it going."

"I'm sorry," I told him, and was surprised that I actually was sorry.

"It's fine. I have some of our stuff on here though, if you want to hear it." He selected an artist I didn't recognize and showed me a list of about five songs. "The quality sucks," he admitted, "but that's because we recorded it in my basement. Not exactly ideal, but what can I say."

Rich kid.

He handed me the other ear bud and I chose a song at random. The guitar was awesome, the beat fantastic, and the vocals fairly impressive. The quality was pretty bad, but then again, I'm impressed that they were able to write this and put it together this neatly.

"I'm on drums," he told me when it was over. He put the iPhone away and stood up. After brushing off the back of his jeans, he turned back to me and held out his hand. "Shall we?"

I glanced at Sam, Eric, and Isaac, who all tried to pretend that they hadn't heard a word of the conversation. I glared at them and said, "I'm going to socialize. If you need me, don't." I pointedly ignored Zach's hand and got up on my own. He sighed and followed me down to the track that circled the field.

I saw April and Syd, two drops of inky black against the purple and red, and smiled to myself. Time for my new friend to meet _my_ friends. I dragged Zach over to them and called, "Abbey. Syd. Back from the dead already?"

April turned to me and flashed her smile through blood-red lips. "The Underworld is lovely, Soapi. You really should invest in the real estate in Tartaurus," she drawled in her French-Canadian accent. She flicked her long white ponytail over her shoulder and seemed to notice my companion for the first time. The intense, green, lined eyes looked Zach up and down. She crossed her arms and called over her shoulder, "'ay, Syd. I believe we have us a male here."

A dark haired figure appeared from behind her and I watched with pleasure as Zach's eyes widened to the size of Isaac's tiny fist. Sydney was slender with curves and shoulder length black hair. As she raised her eyes from her cell phone, she revealed the startling purple irises of her eyes as well as the heavy black sparkling eyeliner and red highlight on her bangs.

My two best friends stood side by side. April was about the skinniest person I know, wearing tight purple pants with a black hoodie. She had her yellow and black scarf on. Syd was stunning, as usual, in a short black t-shirt dress and red leggings.

I stole a glance at Zach, then quickly looked back to my friends when I accidentally caught his eye. April winked at me and flicked her eyes to Zach and back to me, a question in their emerald depths. I shook my head and mouthed "fuck you". That got a giggle from both her and Syd and a raised eyebrow from Zach. The conversation slowly picked up, and the sun melted into the horizon.


	4. Chapter 4: Some Messenger God

Chapter Four- Some Messenger God

We arrived home at about 11 and dispersed. I could hear Don and Kelsey start their showers going and Heather yelling at Garret. Apparently he thought that his "man-stench" was attractive. I heard another shower being started and smiled at Heather's perseverance.

I was slipping on my shorts and tank when I heard a tentative knock on my door. "Come in," I called as I grabbed a comb and started running it through my hair. Little Isaac opened the door and stuck his little turned-up nose around the frame.

"Heather wants to know if we really need to have a meeting tonight. She said that she didn't think anything needed looking after and that she was really tired because she got up extra early and went out to see the flowers this morning," he recited to me, reading off of his palm. I sighed. Heather had probably written all of that on his hand so that he didn't have to remember it. Otherwise he would have twisted it and made it a pirate story with a beautiful maiden and peg-legs.

I gestured Isaac to come into my room, and he complied. I picked up a pen and wrote on his arm. "Tell her," I told him, "that she knows better than that. Matters must always be taken care of. And it's her own fault that she woke up early, not mine or Don's or anyone's." I released him and he scuttled towards the door, but my voice stopped him. "Isaac."

He turned to me with his wide, innocent eyes and I held my hand out. His eyes glittered in defiance, and I narrowed my eyes. "You cannot outsmart me, Ερμής." My tone had become lower and more powerful. "Do not test me."

He sagged and drew out an elaborate pen and a small notebook from his pocket. I took them, then slid my hand under his collar and pulled out a fine silver chain. He lowered his head and I slid it off of his small neck. At the end was a small owl carved out of the finest lapis lazuli. He fled my presence and I watched him go.

I stood like that for a few minutes, then set the filched objects back on my desk, clasping the owl back around my neck where it always stayed. I crawled into my bed and flicked out the floor lamp standing next to my bed.

A few moments later I was asleep.

Well, for all intents and purposes, I was asleep.

What I was really doing was much less mundane and slightly more essential.

XXXXXXX

The creamy marble walls of the palace soared above my head as I crossed the golden floors of the throne room. My long blue toga bushed the silver sandals on my feet, and my long black hair was pulled up with silver bands and sapphire pins. The iron helmet with the red plume was tucked under my left arm and the shield with the head of the Gorgon Medusa was strapped to my back. The long iron sword on my black belt was sharpened to a deadly point and the hilt glittered with onyx studs. Eryx, my faithful owl, flew silently above me as my grey eyes swept the hall and ended on the Twelve Great Thrones at the end of the magnificent room.

This is my home, Olympus.

I am Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Warcraft, Handicrafts, Strategy, The City, Purity, and Reason, Guardian of the Acropolis, creator of the horse bit and weaving, protector and namesake of Athens, giver of the olive tree, worshipped at the Parthenon, and the wisest of the Gods.

I was currently the only one present, so I set down my helmet and shield and sat down on my throne. Not more than five minutes later, I saw Poseidon ambling down the hallway towards me. I felt the contempt in the pit of my stomach that I always feel when I see my old archenemy in his true form, not the pitiful appearance he takes on when in the mortal world.

"Athena," he called. I nodded regally at him, and he took his seat, setting his trident next to his throne and sweeping out his sandy robe. He yawned and stroked his salt colored beard. I was about to sigh when Zeus and Hera entered together. She was leaning on his arm, her long, elaborate peacock toga fluttering as much as her long brown hair under the gold circlet. She was laughing at something he had said, and his blue eyes glimmered in good humor. He looked positively royal in his purple toga and white beard.

They took their places as Ares stormed in, looking mad at nothing in particular. His red eyes swept the room and he growled. A large black lab trotted out of the shadows and sat by his throne as he took a seat.

Artemis came next, carrying her golden bow and wearing her simple brown toga short with leggings. A large white buck walked next to her, and she muttered softly to it as she sat. Her twin hurried in not long after her and looked around, pleased that he wasn't late. He ruffled her unbound curling brown hair before sitting, and she threw his lyre at his golden blonde head. He caught it and smiled at her, setting it on his yellow-robed lap and beginning to pluck the strings aimlessly.

Aphrodite walked slowly in, fixing her lipstick in a mirror held by two doves fluttering in the air before her. She finished and the doves took the mirror to her throne, along with the lipstick. She passed Ares and he grinned at her. She giggled, and he snagged her long red strapless robe. She laughed out loud and I glared at them as Hephaestus limped into the room. Her smile faded and she sat down in her throne with a "humph" and a puff of perfume.

As Hephaestus was sitting painfully down in his chair, little Hermes fluttered in on his winged sandals. He alighted on his small throne and sat down, his white toga floating down around him. He smiled at Apollo, and the god growled at the little messenger as he checked his pockets. Hermes winked at me and I caught Apollo's eye. I pointed at my neck and he felt for his necklace. Hermes gave me a pouty expression and chucked the Sun God's golden necklace into his face.

Dionysus sauntered into the room as Apollo was feeling his nose for nonexistent breaks. The fat god was bulging in his purple tunic and sipping from a goblet of wine. As he put his lips to the rim, a sudden flame flared up from the liquid and singed his eyebrows.

Zeus smiled at Hephaestus and the lame god shrugged. "Just doing my job," he explained. Dionysus threw him a dirty glare and plopped down in his throne, arms crossed.

I surveyed the room. Everyone was here but Demeter. That was strange. She was usually one of the first ones to arrive. Then I remembered the message she had sent to me via the messenger god. "Hermes." The little trickster turned, and I gestured to him. He flew over and I took his wrists in my hands. I turned over both of his hands and saw a message scrawled across the other palm. I glared at Hermes. "Some messenger god." He smiled his cute smile and shrugged. I read the message:

_My dear Athena, I might be a little delayed to the meeting tonight. Please start without me. I have a few matters to attend to._

Hmmm. This was food for thought. I shooed Hermes back to his throne and announced, "Demeter will be a bit late tonight. She wishes that we continue without her."

Zeus glanced at me curiously, and I shook my head slightly. He understood. "All right, then," he boomed. "Has anyone anything special that they wish to address?"

A clear roll of parchment appeared next to me and I pulled out a quill pen. I took the minutes at these meetings. The quill floated out of my hands, the silvery/blue shimmer of my magic still glowed around it as it started furiously scribbling the events of the meeting.

"I do." Artemis stood up. "I dropped by Brazil on the way here. There are lumber companies who were dumping their waste into the Amazon. I saw a few crocodiles covered in oil. While I may hunt them at some times, I do not wish them any harm. Hephaestus, Poseidon, can you intervene?"

Poseidon shrugged. "You know how it is, Artemis," he told her gently. "The pollution hurts me as much as it does you. I can only do so much at a time. I will look into this. Maybe there will be a side-river that is drying up that I can divert the flow of the pollutants into. But I can't promise you anything."

The god of fire pulled out an old watch and a pair of small tweezers. He watched his work as he answered, "What do you want me to do? I can see to the machines, but you know that that will not help. I think Poseidon is the one to help you on this one." He looked up and the Sea God glared at him. He raised his eyebrows, the perfect picture of innocence, and Poseidon sighed in exasperation.

"I'll see what I can do, Artemis." She nodded and sat down.

I glanced at the minutes and commented to the quill, "You misspelled 'crocodiles' here." It paused in its writing and faced me as if to say, "YOU want to do this or are you gonna let me?" I held my palms up in surrender, and it continued recording. I may be able to take a lot of things, but attitude from an enchanted quill pen was not one of them. I know when to admit defeat.

Ares was complaining about some war in the Middle East when I heard footsteps. I held up my hand and everyone stopped talking. It was Demeter. She looked tired, and her steps dragged under her long green robe. She was twisting her curling blonde hair with her hands with her eyes downcast, walking in silence. I got up to go to her, but Artemis caught my eye and got up. I reluctantly sat back down and Artemis walked to Demeter.

"Oh Demeter, whatever is the matter?" she asked her softly. The older goddess' eyes welled up and she put her arms around Artemis, now weeping. Hera went to her and guided the sobbing goddess to her throne. There I met her and helped her into her seat. Zeus came over and kneeled by her and held her small hand in his big one.

"I'm so s-s-s-sorry for all this," she sobbed. "It's just… my Persephone… she t-t-t-told me that it was getting time for her to g-g-g-go to the Underworld," here she stopped to choke back more sobs. "Just a few more months to go and my darling b-b-b-baby girl will be in that awful p-p-p-place again." Demeter took the tissue Aphrodite handed her and blew her nose loudly.

Persephone. I should have known. That's what it always was this time of year. The leaves were beautiful today; let's see what color they will be tomorrow. I guarantee no more yellow at least on the one outside of Demeter's window.

Hera was attempting to comfort the weeping mother. "There, there," she cooed to her. "It will be all right, just you wait and see. She always comes back to you, and she always will. You just dry your eyes now dear. There you go."

Demeter sniffed one last time and wiped her eyes on the long sleeve of her toga. "Thank you all for putting up with me," she said gratefully. "I know I'm always a wreck when it comes time for her to go."

I nodded. "We all feel your pain." I looked around at the gods around me and made eye contact with Zeus.

"Back to the meeting, now," he announced authoritatively. We went back to our seats, and not another word was said about Persephone the whole night.


	5. Chapter 5: Owls and Peacocks

Chapter Five- Owls and Peacocks

"Kelsey. Keeeeeeelsey. KELSEY!!!"

"Whaa-?" The strawberry-blonde shot up in her bed, hot pink sleep mask askew on her head. I sighed and flung the lime green cover off of her sleeping form.

"School bus leaves in an hour," I told her. She groggily murmured something about waking her up too early, and I replied "Well, if you wouldn't take forever to get ready, then I wouldn't have to wake you up." And with that I left the sickeningly girly room and went to have breakfast.

Isaac was pouring syrup all over the chocolate-chip pancakes that Heather made for him. Mikayla was leaned over the sink with her head under the running water. Calder had his hand above her head, directing the water as June scrubbed Mikayla's brown hair. Calder looked at me and said, "Isaac lost control of the syrup. It just jumped right out of his hands apparently."

I glanced sharply at him and he gave me a chocolate-filled smile. Yuck.

I poured myself some tea and grabbed a blueberry muffin. Walking back up the stairs, Don passed me, towing Eric behind him. "And at lunch? Is there any way to positively keep up with him?"

The tall, dark lacrosse player shrugged. "I could always try to stay near him, but I don't know how effective that would be. However, if I brought out that invisible intangible rope that I've been dying to use, it would pass straight through the mortals, and he wouldn't be able to get away so easily…" Their voices faded as I left hearing range.

Sounds like an interesting day for Sam, if Eric gets his request.

In my room, the grandfather clock struck 8:15 and I began my morning routine. I opened my small closet and surveyed the dark clothing before me. Let's see… I pulled out my red jeans and slipped them on. A long black tee shirt, a purple and black checkered tie, a grey vest, and two Converse later and I was ready for makeup. Thick black liner again, but purple lips today.

My hands flitted over the earring box. Blue studs, black half-hearts on each side, silver hoop in the cartilage of my left ear, black lightning bolts (Don's birthday present to me last year), and…

June looked up from the pastel blue book bag on her green bedspread when I knocked on the frame of her open door. "Yes, Sophiyanna?"

I scowled at her resilience to calling me by preferred name. "I was looking for a certain pair of earrings, _Juniper_," I told her, putting extra emphasis on her full name. "I was wondering if you might have them."

She smiled sweetly at me. "I don't believe so, dear."

I smiled coldly back at her. "Really? And who else might have them?" She opened her mouth, but I went on, my smile gone. "None of the males in this house would take them except Isaac, and he doesn't have them. I catch him every time he tries to take anything of mine. Mikayla doesn't wear earrings. Kelsey would never take any of my earrings: she has plenty and she doesn't like mine. Heather doesn't wear anything like these, besides, she would have asked. So that leaves you. Where are they?"

She looked at me with fire in her eyes, her mouth set in a tight line. It was unwise to cross her. Everyone knew that. But she knew exactly the earrings I was looking for, and she knew that I knew she had them.

June walked to her dresser and took them from a ceramic dish on its surface. "I believe you allow me to borrow them whenever I wish," she said slowly, her tone sounding forced and controlled.

"Yes," I said, "but I believe I told you to always return them." My tone lowered and I stepped closer to her. "I will not tolerate this, whether it be earrings or having Isaac steal my necklace. I am not blind." I turned and left her room, sliding the peacock feather earrings into my earlobes.

XXXXXXX

Kelsey was taking forever. "We're going to miss the bus," I told her through the bathroom door.

"No we aren't, Sophie," she called to me. "Stop worrying." She opened the door, the freshly applied pink shimmer mascara and bright yellow eye shadow glittering in the fluorescent light.

Looking at her tight pink pants and blue tank, I told her, "You are going to freeze today." She glanced down at herself and looked puzzled. I sighed and handed her the pink and green PINK jacket I had snitched from her bedpost when I saw the outfit a few minutes ago. She smiled gratefully at me and took it, slipping it on as we rushed down the stairs.

We grabbed our bags from the table near the front door where Heather always put them. Mikayla, wet hair hanging limply down the back of her plain green shirt, snagged Aiden's bag and her own, yelling for him to hurry up over her shoulder. She rolled her eyes at me and mouthed "men". I had to agree.

We had just gotten to the curb when the big yellow school bus rolled around the corner. Again, I was swamped with teenage boys going for Kelsey and headed towards the back. I pulled out the latest Maximum Ride book by James Patterson.

Three chapters in, someone plopped into the seat next to me. I smelled shampoo, and some sort of minty toothpaste. Clean rich boy. I didn't look up, but said, "Good morning, Zach."

He laughed and replied easily, "Morning."

I tried to keep my eyes on my book, but it was hard with his presence beside me. I finally gave in and closed the book. His eyes were on me as I slid it back into my bag. "So," he said conversationally, "how did you sleep?"

I laughed, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Sorry," I apologized. "Inside joke, of a sort." He still looked confused, not without reason, so I replied, "Well, I suppose. Nothing too interesting."

Zach didn't look satisfied with than answer, but he would have to live with it. I hated to admit it, but he was turning out to be a fairly interesting person. Good potential friendship. I internally shook my head. Too soon to be thinking that. What did I really know about him anyways?

We passed a few minutes in silence, and as the school drew into view, he passed me a small book. The cover was well worn, and I couldn't make out the cover art or title other than a grove of skeletal trees and the faint outline of an owl in front of a crescent moon. It was a beautiful book, bound in black with blue leaves. Very ironic, I thought, then raised an eyebrow at him. Maybe a bit too ironic, to sound Hollywood for a moment.

He shrugged. "I figured that if you like to read so much, you probably like to write too." He opened the cover and showed me the blank pages within. They felt soft to my fingertips. It really was a beautiful book. And I know my books.

"Plus," Zach added as the bus driver opened the doors and students began to pour out onto the street, "I figured you would like the owl. It looks like the one on your necklace." He reached out and touched the lapis lazuli gently with his fingers, holding my grey eyes with his hazel ones. Before I knew what was happening, he was gone, walking across the asphalt, and I was one of the last ones on the bus.

I got up and half walked, half ran out, clutching the book to my side with my left hand. As I stepped out of the bus, I saw Mikayla looking at me with a curious look on her face. I shrugged and gave her a bewildered look, which probably scared her more than any of Isaac's tricks ever could.

XXXXXXX

"'ay, Soapi. Earth to Soapi." The locker door slammed, and April stuck her face in front of mine. Her silver-lined green eyes searched my own. "'aven't you 'eard me calling you?"

"Sorry, Abbey. I was just thinking," I told her.

"Well, you can save that for your Algebra class next period. I 'av something I need to talk over with you, my dear friend." She grabbed the strap of my messenger bag and dragged me into the girl's bathroom. The two girls fixing their mascara and lip gloss in the mirrors scattered when April growled at them. She looked ferocious in her short black miniskirt and torn black leggings.

She let go of my arm and stared me in the eye. "Sydne iz not 'ere today," she said slowly, trying her best to pronounce every word correctly. I had been caught up in my musings until now, but then I realized just how serious this must be. When April gets upset, her French accent comes out really bad, and right now I was struggling to understand what she was saying.

"I 'ave no idea where she iz, and zat in inzelf iz not a good zing. She 'asn't zehd anyzing to me lately zat would make me believe zat she 'as gone on any zort of trip." April stared hard at me. "Do you realize wat I am zaying, Zoapi?"

O, gods. Not this.

"Yes, Abbey, I know exactly what you are saying." I put my face in my hands. "Get through today. If she's not here tomorrow, I'll go to her mother's house and see if she's there."

Syd's parents are divorced, and right now she should be spending time with her mom. If not, it could mean one of two things. Either she had split to go to her dad's house, or… I didn't want to think of the alternative. I heard the warning bell in the hallway and took April's hands in mine.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure she will be fine. Now get to class, and I'll see you at lunch." She nodded and I ran after her out of the bathroom. Maybe she would get to class on time.

I was lucky, and found myself slipping into my junior level Pre-Calculus class as the bell rang. My teacher, Mr. Kell, gave me a look as I slid into my seat breathing hard, but then turned to the board and wrote the name of the lesson.

I spent the whole class with my Pre-Calculus book open on my desk, staring at Mr. Kell as if paying attention, but really just thinking about my friends, the old ones and the tentative one.

XXXXXXX

It was a funny sight. Sam was trying to get to the desserts in the cafeteria line, but the invisible intangible chain that was attached to him and Eric was obviously pulled taunt. Eric was talking to a few of his lacrosse friends across the lunchroom. Sam was just standing there, one arm slightly behind him, staring pitifully at the row of peaches in crème sauce and lemon meringue pie slices.

However funny it was, my lunch couldn't wait forever. I had just punched my fork into my chicken Caesar salad when he sat down across from me. "I just can't get away from you can I?"

I asked Zach. I hoped he knew I was joking.

Apparently he did. "I'm like your shadow," he told me. "To be cliché." I laughed at that, and he smiled and looked at my lunch. "Chicken Caesar salad. Nutritious option, and yet flavorful as well. Lovely choice."

I glanced at his tray and commented, "Not that anyone knows about healthy." He had a slice of pepperoni pizza and a lemonade. He made a face at me and pulled an apple from behind the pizza, where I couldn't see it before. "Still."

Zach gave me an I-don't-care look and bit into the apple as I went back to my salad. A few minutes of silence passed between us. I refused to break it.

"So where's your friend Sydney today?" he asked me finally. I immediately regretted not starting the conversation myself. I didn't want to get into this with him.

He must have seen my face, because he said, "Don't worry about it. Just curious. Nice earrings by the way."

I gazed at him sourly and quipped, "Which ones?"

I had to admit, Zach was a very observant person. The necklace, the books, Syd, and even my expressions. He read it all like I read Edgar Allen Poe. This was a dangerous boy. Very dangerous.

Lunch continued, and we spoke lightly of our classes. He was in a few of mine, as it turned out. I'm not sure why I hadn't noticed yesterday, but he answered that for me. He had been in the principal's office, straightening out paperwork with his parent most of the day.

This also told me that he was smart. Like, _smart_ smart. I'm not in the idiot classes, and most of them are boring, even for me. The only classes he didn't excel in, from what I could see, were English and History. This made me feel a bit better, because these were my best subjects; well, English, History, and Architecture.

The bell for lunch to end rang, and Zach got up from the table before I did. The apple rolled off of his tray and bounced onto mine. He didn't seem to notice and kept walking.

I picked up the apple, which he had been poking with his fork all through lunch, and froze. Scratched into the skin of the apple was a perfect representation of the owl I wore around my neck, which had been inside of my shirt the whole period.


	6. Chapter 6: Dangerous Chemicals

Chapter Six- Dangerous Chemicals

I glanced at him from across the Spanish classroom. His eyes were on the board, but almost as soon as I glanced over, they turned to mine. I quickly looked away.

The apple incident at lunch still puzzled me. How could he have possibly known exactly what the owl looked like? Even more, he remembered it well enough to be able to just idly scratch it into an apple. It had been inside of my shirt. He wouldn't have had any frame of reference except his memory. It just didn't make sense.

"¿Sofia? ¿Está aquí?"

"Sí, Señora. ¿Qué es?"

My professor shook her head and replied, "Le pregunté y no contestó."

"Lo siento, Señora. No pasará otra vez. Sigue, por favor."

She went back to the lesson, and I saw Zach trying not so smile. I waited until her back was turned and scowled at him. He just winked at me and went back to learning.

Zach caught up with me in the hall after class. Before he could say anything, I told him, "I don't want to hear it."

He chuckled and assured me, "Trust me, Soapi. I wouldn't dream of bringing up anything that could end the discussion with my poor head on the other side of the school from my body." I smiled at the image, then checked myself and arranged my features into a passive mask. It never hit me that he had called me Soapi. Maybe that's for the better.

I passed April in the hallway and she raised an eyebrow at me. I glanced at the boy next to me and crossed my eyes at her. She giggled and joined us. "'ay there, young male."

He looked at her and said, "I have a name, April."

She gave a haughty expression and informed him, "And my name, smart a**, is pronounced Avril. I can tell someone isn't taking French."

"Nope," he grinned. "I'm a completely useless French student, 'ma fillay'." She groaned theatrically at his pronunciation, but smiled at his tone.

"Well, I'm off," she told me. "C'est le temps pour moi pour aller à ma classe d'algèbre." She ran off towards her Algebra class, Zach watching her go.

"You have hot friends," he said bluntly. I had to admit, April was a sight to see. Nothing compared to Syd of course, but still slender and well formed. She was pretty too, with her long blonde hair and bright emerald eyes.

He opened his mouth, but then closed it and kept walking towards Advanced Chemistry, which we had together next period. "That looked like a retarded guppy out of water," I remarked. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing." He shook his head and stated firmly, "You already said you didn't want to talk about it, so I'm not gonna ask again."

Ah. It must be about Syd. Well, add sensitivity to his score for not wanting to say anything about it after I had reacted so perversely at lunch.

We arrived at the science building as the warning bell rang. A few flights of stairs later, we entered the classroom. "This is going to be a fun lesson," I told him. He looked at me questioningly, and I pointed out the model airplane sets on the teacher's desk.

"I wonder what we'll be doing," he said. I had multiple theories, but I didn't feel like getting into it now, so I just shrugged.

The bell rang, and as the last ones there we ended up at the same lab table. Dr. Nancy, as we were instructed to call the young, frizzy-haired woman, got up from her computer and clapped her hands together.

She had not been there the first two days of school. Apparently her sister had gotten in some sort of car accident, and Dr. Nancy had not budged from her hospital bed until she was discharged yesterday. Now she smiled at all of us and began talking.

"This year in Advanced Chem., we will be using all sorts of chemicals: some harmless, some very dangerous, and some previously prohibited in schools by law." This raised a few eyebrows in the class, but she went on. "You will need to be able to follow the directions I give you _exactly_ as I give them. Also, everyone in this classroom is depending on you for their survival. One tiny mistake, and we could all be just molecules in the wind blowing through the new hole in the science building. Complete trust and concentration are the most essential qualities you will take from this class, if you make it through and if you make it through without your body altered in any grotesque form." She held up her arm and showed us a long scar reaching from her wrist to her elbow. "This was because of a beaker someone dropped at my feet. It shattered and a shard of class covered with the toxic chemical sliced through my arm. I got off lucky with a month's stay in the hospital. She is blind in one eye now."

Dr. Nancy surveyed the sympathetic and scared faces in her classroom. "Other than that," she said brightly, "we will be having so much fun this year!" With that, she turned back to her desk and began handing out the model airplane sets, one to a table.

She explained, "This will be the project for the rest of the week. You have today, Thursday, and Friday to build this model airplane with your partner. They will be turned in to me, complete and painted, by the end of class on Friday. You may not bring them out of this classroom or work on them after school." She placed a box in front of me and Zach with a picture of a white Boeing airliner.

"This activity is to help you with your direction-following skills, as well as trust. For you may not speak at all during the duration of this project. Any speech and I automatic drop a letter grade. No exceptions. The directions are inside the boxes. Good luck. Begin."

Most of the kids in the class look bewildered at this task, not seeing how to get this done without speaking. A few of them dumped the contents of their box out onto the table and stared at the tiny wooden pieces as if they would start assembling themselves.

Zach looked at me and mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key. He then motioned towards the box as if to say, "Ladies first." I rolled my eyes and bent down to my bag. He raised his eyebrows and I came up with a notebook and a pen. He looked confused for a second, and then it dawned on him.

He brought out a pencil from his bag and took the notebook, flipping to an empty page. _I like the way your mind works_ he wrote. I pushed my stool away from the high counter and stood up as I was reading this.

_Is that a good thing?_ I scribbled back as he stood up as well. Zach shrugged and dumped out the box, sorting out the instructions from the pile of wooden pieces. He held them out to me, but I wrote _I don't need them_.

And I didn't. I'm an architect, right? Goddess of the City, Guardian of the Acropolis, all that stuff. I glanced at the diagram on the slip of paper and wrote _Sort out all the pieces that look like this_. I handed Zach the piece he was supposed to be looking for, and he put down _Who put you in charge?_

I smiled at this comment and wrote _Me_. He rolled his eyes and I followed it with _Just trust me. I'm in Honor's Architecture._

_Whatever_ was his reply. He started collecting pieces as I began assembling the wood that would make up the tips of the wings.

This continued for about 10 minutes. Dr. Nancy started circling among the tables, watching the progress. She stopped at our table and raised her eyebrows at the closed instructions sitting on the table near Zach's elbow. He had finished organizing the pieces and was helping me assemble the right wing.

"Wow," she commented. "Very impressive. How's it going?"

Zach opened his mouth to reply, but I had seen the danger of this innocent comment. I quickly closed the space between us and slid my hand over his mouth before he could talk and ruin our grade. I nodded to the teacher and she smiled and moved on.

It was then when I realized how close I was to Zach. Our bodies were pressed close together and my palm was still against his lips. He caught my eyes and I drew in a deep breath as the full power of those hazel irises collided with my gaze. I slowly dropped my hand and stepped back.

Yes, this boy was very dangerous.

XXXXXXX

"Miss Lucilius, if you will, please come to the board and draw your outline in red." I got up from my seat and brought my notebook to the board. Well, one of my notebooks. I have… I'm not sure how many actually. Several.

Once my outline was copied on the board, I headed back to my seat. June glared at me as I passed her- although she's a senior, she's in my class. Rather, I'm in her class. English is my best subject, so I'm in the senior average class. It's still boring for me.

A foot snaked out into the isle and I deftly avoided it. When I got back to my desk, however, my books were scattered across the floor. I'll bet someone had "knocked into" my desk and dumped them on the ground. I sighed. June just doesn't give up.

I was gathering up the books and puyting them back on the desk or in my bag when I saw a notebook that wasn't mine. It was one of the old black and white ones without a spiral. The name on the front was "Zach". So I had accidentally grabbed his notebook when I rushed out of Chemistry.

I glanced at Mr. Mitchell. He was standing behind his desk, lecturing on the first act of _Julius Caesar_. He looked engrossed, so I opened the notebook.

Math homework, notes from American History, and scribbled sketches of our Spanish teacher that made me laugh under my breath. He was not an artist, I can tell you that much.

Then I turned a page and the laughing (and breathing) stopped. A photograph fell out of the page and into my lap. I picked it up and looked at it closer.

It was me. More specifically, it was me on the bench in the park, head bent over a book, iPod headphones in my ears, and legs crossed tightly under me. The sun was in the background, just a half-circle coming over the horizon. The wind must have been blowing because my blue hair was blowing across my face and my jacket was pulled tight around me. This picture had to have been taken before school even started because at this time on any other weekday I would have been on the bus already.

I looked on the back. "Blue on the Bench" was scrawled across it in blue ink. A black pen had crossed that out and labeled it "Sophie against the Sun". So he hadn't known who I was when he took the picture. He had just seen a girl on a bench and taken a picture.

There were more pictures, these taped to pages later in the book. They were really good, actually. Some were of birds taking off from branches, their wings slightly blurred. A few had people in them. I assumed the tall man in a suit was his father and the small light woman was his mother. They showed up in a lot of pictures. There were pictures of him and who I guess were his band members at some talent show, holding up a medal.

He hadn't told me he was into photography. This was interesting.

However, it helped to explain the phenomenon of the apple. He had a photographic mind, so he would remember details.

I placed the picture back into the pages of the notebook and put it in my bag. I would give it to him later, I decided, and I wouldn't say anything about the pictures. That was probably the wisest idea.


	7. Chapter 7: Velma Moment

Chapter Seven- Velma Moment

I rushed to my locker after English, hoping to find April before I left. I wanted to let her know that I was planning on going by Syd's house tonight so that she wouldn't worry about going. What I didn't plan on telling her was the fact that I was going to drop by on my way to Olympus. No need for her to know that, of course.

Books packed and locker locked, I turned around and ran straight into Zach. I started to fall but he grabbed my wrist and kept me upright. I still dropped my books- and my glasses. I heard him curse under his breath, but I couldn't see him. I'm blind without my glasses.

I knelt, Zach beside me, and started feeling around for them. Velma moment, I thought grimly to myself as he said, "Here" and handed me the glasses.

"Thanks," I muttered. We gathered up my books and finally stood up. "Have you seen Abbey?" I asked him.

"Nope," he said. Ugh. I'd have to text her. I pulled out my phone and started walking towards the busses. Zach caught up and opened the front door for me as I passed through it.

I glared at him. "I don't need your chivalry."

He laughed. "Of course, Madame." He let the door close on my bag, trapping me in. I had to struggle to open it over my shoulder.

When I had finally gotten it pried open, I poked his shoulder. "That wasn't very nice."

"You weren't being any nicer," he retorted.

Fair point.

We got on the bus and I pulled out his notebook. It was one of the books that hadn't spilled out of my bag. "This was in my bag," I told Zach. "Yours?"

"Yeah," he said. "You must have accidently picked it up at lunch or something." He slid it into his book bag and leaned his head against the back of the seat with a groan. "Another day," he said. "And then there's one tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that… It never ends."

"Well," I said absently, already absorbed in my book, "until 2012. If the Mayans are to be believed, that is."

"So sad," he agreed. "The Great Cycle was just starting and everything."

I looked up sharply. "I thought you weren't good at history."

"I'm not." He grinned. "They had a special on the History Channel and mom was watching it." I punched his shoulder and he protested my medieval torture methods, which made me laugh. At least I didn't turn him into a spider.

I noticed a small piece of notebook paper sticking out of my English binder. Pulling it out, I read _I cannot believe that she… and to me? It was a mistake!_ A few words were cut off in the middle of the message because the paper had been torn. I looked closer. Not torn, cut. With scissors. "Nice try, Juniper," I muttered and crumpled the paper up.

"Who's Juniper?"

"My older sister. She has some jealousy issues, apparently." I shook my head and laughed lightly. "She has issues."

Zach gently pulled the slip of paper out of my hand and unfolded it. "I'd say. Did she really think that this would fool you? Or much less get you mad?"

I was opening my mouth to reply to that when Mikayla came back to our seat. "Um, Sophie? Me an' a few of my volleyball teammates want your opinion on this new strategy we're considering. I know how you are with that stuff, and when I told them they wanted you to help."

Reluctantly I walked to the front of the bus and sat down with half of the volleyball team. A whiteboard and a dry erase marker were thrust into my lap as the girls gathered around. A few minutes later, I was totally immersed in the tactics before me and not a thought about Zach or Juniper crossed my mind.

XXXXXXX

What to do, what to do. I surveyed the mess before me and little Isaac tugged my hand. "Please Soapi? Please? She's _really_ cute! And she's smart!"

"Isaac," I told him, "this is your problem. Not mine. Plus, shouldn't you get Heather to help you with this? It's not really… my area."

He hung his head and mumbled something about Heather being busy unclogging the sink. I remembered the maple syrup incident from this morning. That was his fault too.

"Well I don't think any of us should clean your room for you. You made the mess, you clean it up. I don't care how cute this Anna is, her opinion of you is not so important that you should get out of cleaning your own room. Learn to do things for yourself. When did you say she's coming over?"

"Five-o'-clock."

I glanced at the lime green digital clock on his nightstand. 3:52. "See? You have plenty of time. Over an hour. You can get this straightened out in less time than that. Get Kelsey to help you with your hair if you really want to impress her. I think Heather was making brownies anyway. You guys can have those in here after dinner _if_ you clean it up first."

He didn't look pleased with the prospect of trying to organize this mess, and I couldn't blame him. It looked like Hurricane Katrina decided to take a holiday in his bedroom.

That's where I left him. I unlocked my room and dumped my heavy bag on the bed. I had started locking my room as a precaution. Not that a simple lock would pose much of a problem for Hera, but it would at least give June the idea that I didn't trust her and I wasn't fooled by her. Maybe she would get the message sometime.

All my homework for the week was done, so I decided to go through the new stack of books I had bought at Borders a few days before school started. I hadn't had a chance to put them on the shelves yet.

I spilled the four plastic bags onto my comforter and started organizing them and shelving them accordingly.

A few minutes later I found myself holding the notebook Zach had given me. I sat on the bed and opened it.

The blank pages beckoned to me as I flipped through them. I had no idea what I was going to do with it. I always have this problem with blank books. I can never decide what to write in them. I didn't keep a journal, and figured that would be pointless. I remember pretty much everything that happens to me and half of my life I would be an idiot to record.

Well, whatever I would use it for later, it would have to sit on my shelf for now. I was about to close it when something caught my eye. I pushed my glasses farther up my nose and brought the book up to eye level.

A few pages had been torn out from the back.

Hmm. This was cause for thought. What had been on those pages? Easy way to find out. I got a dull pencil and laid the book on my desk. Lightly I went over the page behind the missing pages.

When something is written in a notebook, the pressure of the tip of the pen or pencil makes an indention in the page. If the writer pressed down hard (unintentionally), it can also go through to the next page. If a graphite pencil is lightly rubbed over that page, it will leave a mark on the higher part of the page and not go into the indentions, which are where the writing was. The result is like a photo negative of the previous page.

Nothing showed up here. Either the writer didn't press down hard, there was nothing written on the missing pages, or they had foreseen this and ripped out the page to the back of the one with the writing on it.

Whatever. The book went on a shelf and the page I had marked on was rolled up and put in the trash.

I had just set another book from my bed in its place when Heather called, "Sophie? Do you want to help with the brownies?" I considered it. I had nothing better to do.

"Sure," I replied and left my room.

Aiden was leaving the kitchen as I was entering. He was towing Isaac and dripping chocolate. I smiled. It didn't take a mind like mine to make the connection.

"Oh, good, you're here Sophie." Heather handed me a huge bowl of brownie mix and a large wooden spoon. "Here, stir this and pour it into this pan here. When the oven beeps you can take that batch out and out this one in."

With those hurried instructions, Heather went back to preparing dinner. Chicken parmesan. Funny. We had Italian last night. She saw me looking and told me, "Isaac said that Anna likes it."

Of course Heather would want to accommodate our guest as much as possible. She's just that way. It must be hard for her sometimes, acting as the mother figure for all of us. For all intents and purposes, we are thirteen orphans with an anonymous sponsor who provides a boarding house so that we can go to school. We've gotten some crap in the past about it, but hey, whatever.

Brownies in the oven and Anna on her way, I trudged back up to my room. I flopped on my bed and stared at the constellations on my ceiling. All my homework was finished and I had basically nothing to do.

I got up and started pacing my room. Boredom is a problem with me. I walked over to my closet and opened the grey door. Some of my clothes were a bit unorganized, so I started unconsciously rearranging them. A brown and green box in the corner of the wide closet caught my eye, and I put down the stack of jeans I had just picked up. I remembered that box. The perfect distraction.

A few minutes later, I was sitting cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by small pieces of metal. I had forced Eric to make these for me when I was smaller because I was bored and Lego's didn't hold much fascination for me.

I made wonders with these. I called them calypsos then because I saw that they hid what they really were until you put them together in a certain way. They would become a castle, a jungle gym, a forest, anything I wanted them to be.

Now I blew the dust off of the calypsos and began to examine them. They were expertly made, of course. Eric was the most expert craftsman on the earth. Or above it.

Lost in my musings, I began to fit the small pieces together and move them around. A column formed, then another, an archway, a path… I remember why this was so fun, I thought. The possibilities are literally endless.

I heard a car in the driveway and lifted my head from the calypsos. Anna must be here. Was she early? I glanced at the clock and stood up in surprise. It was 5 already. I must have been more engrossed in the calypsos than I had thought I was. Almost an hour had gone by while I was tinkering with them. Voices downstairs caught my attention and I shook my head. Oh well. Time to go meet this Anna.

I walked out of my room, leaving behind the small metal Parthenon. What I didn't notice was the sprinkling of fine white powder surrounding it. The particles upset by the draft of air caused by my door closing settled back down. A small ant that had somehow managed to get into the room happened to be crawling across the rug and was coated with powder. It shuddered and froze in place, to remain there for over an hour.


	8. Chapter 8: Wiretapping

Chapter Eight- Wiretapping

"I must make known, Goddess, that the Sirens have such a permanent place on Sirenum Scopuli that even though we may all agree that they are a nuisance and a danger to sailors, it would be a folly to remove them. Sailors traveling past the island have the history and knowledge now that they would be idiots to succumb to the song. Beside the point, where would we put them? We could not destroy them, and they would have to be placed somewhere where they would just cause as much trouble."

Hera stood up, her long golden robe floating down around her. "Your argument rings true, dear Athena, and yet I fear I must have to disagree. For do we wish to condemn the sailors to a tragic death when we could have avoided it?"

Artemis glared at her and stood to walk over to my throne. "Queen of the White Arms, can you not hear the thoughts of the Wise Pallas Athena? If not, and you may not be moved to do so, a standing poll is in order. All that see Athena's position?"

All but Hera and Ares lifted their arms to the ceiling in agreement. I could almost see the smoke rising out of the Queen's ears.

"All that see Hera's position?" Artemis asked unnecessarily. I smiled inwardly at her boldness.

"There's no need for that, young Goddess," Hera broke in as Ares began to raise his hand. Her green eyes held mine steadily and her mouth was set in a steely line. "I can clearly see that my side is lost. Apollo will call Terpsichore and tell her to alert her daughters of the decision of the Council. I will not fight the combined will of the Gods." And with that she swept away down the halls, her golden crown glittering in the light of the torches.

Zeus raised an eyebrow at me and I raised one back. Artemis strode down a corridor to a balcony and leapt off into the night sky. Ares gave me a glare and growled, "The meeting is concluded, Zeus."

The King nodded and disbanded us. Hermes flitted up to me and asked, "So I was wondering, if you had nothing to do, would you maybe want to visit Egypt with me? They're having some sort of feast for Basalt, and we could drop by."

"No, thank you. I have some business to attend to tonight." He shrugged and walked off.

I left through the lower servant's door and flew through the night to Sydney's mother's house. There were lights on upstairs and in a room on the ground floor. I closed my eyes and willed myself invisibly through the window of the lit room. It was the kitchen, where I had visited Syd many times before. Her mom was washing dishes, and it looked like there had been a dinner for more than one. Just to be sure, I walked silently up the small stairs and passed through the door to Syd's room.

Oh, thank gods. My friend was sitting up in her white bed and scowling over a biology book. She looked paler than usual, but from the Tylenol on the dresser and the thermometer sticking out of her mouth, it looked like she just had a cold or the flu. That was a relief.

The purple door opened behind me and Sydney's mom stuck her head in. "How're you feeling today?"

"Crappy," was the response. The thermometer beeped and she spit it out onto the bed. Her mom picked it up and read it.

"Oh, dear," she said sadly. "Still 100º. When will it go down?" She stopped when Syd started to cough. It was a rasping, harsh cough. Poor Syd, I thought.

"Can I have some tea, mom? Maybe it will help my throat a bit."

"Of course, Sydney." With that, Ms. Washburn scuttled back down the stairs to the kitchen to brew some tea, pleased that she could do something for her daughter. Syd laid her head back on the pillows and stared at the ceiling. I leapt invisibly out the open window and landed in my earthly form on the street. There was a party at Addison Silk's house tonight, and I figured that I needed the little celebration after finding out that Syd was okay.

I closed my eyes and willed myself into a short, sparkly, grey halter dress and appeared moments later behind Addison's house, in the shadows of a small grove of oak trees. Time to party.

XXXXXXX

"She's at the party, Zeus," squawked the eagle. "Just as Hera thought she would be."

"Very good, Vega. Now leave us." The magnificent golden creature dropped off the balcony as Zeus turned to Hera and said, "I don't like this, dear."

The queen bristled. "You doubt me? Who has been your loyal servant and wife for all of eternity?"

"I don't argue that, Hera," he told her. "I just can't believe this about Athena."

Hera's eyes flashed emerald fire as she turned away. "You either believe me," she said slowly, "or you don't."

"It's not that-" he stopped and sighed. "Alright. But I want proof."

The lips of the White Armed Goddess spread in a poisonous smile, hidden from the king. "Then you shall have it, Almighty Zeus." The dark green toga swept around the corner and the king of the gods sat down on his throne and put his head in his hands.

"Watch yourself, Athena dear," he whispered. "I fear for you."

XXXXXXX

I hung up after letting April know that Syd has the flu and was sitting home as bored as anything. I made her promise to go by and drop off a few new books for her to read. Kelsey looked up from her bright pink nails, eyebrow raised. "Let's go," I told her.

"Were you at Addison Silk's party last night?" she asked me.

"I thought you were there too, unless it was a robot that I said hello to."

She pursed her lips. "I thought I saw you. But June told me you went to see the Sirens last night."

I shook my head. "Juniper is delusional. I went straight to the party after the meeting." I really hadn't. I had checked up on Sydney first. We technically weren't supposed to traverse the Earth in our immortal forms, invisible or not. I know for a fact that every single god and goddess in our household has broken that rule at one point or another, but we never said anything about those instances. There are punishments for the unlawful, but it's not worth exposing a fellow immortal who would have no qualms about keeping you on his or her hit list for all of eternity.

Kelsey looked like she was about to say something when the doorbell rang. "For Zeus' sake." I rolled my eyes at Aiden, just walking down the stairs. "It's 7:30 in the morning!"

"Well?" I told him. "Go see who it is."

Kelsey and I watched as Aiden went to the door and opened it, revealing a balding man in a brown suit. He hiked his cumbersome-looking suitcase up under his arm and cleared his throat. "Are your parents home?" he asked us. I chortled under my breath. We must looks like we all came from the same parents, I thought. Blonde, tan Aiden, green eyed Kelsey, and Casper the Not-so-Friendly Ghost over here.

"Our parents are either dead or don't want us, thank you for reminding us, sir. I didn't catch your name. What was it again?" That's my Aiden, milking the wounded teenager image.

The poor man looked taken aback and stuttered out an apology. He held out a small stack of papers. I stepped forward. Looked like a lawyer's on-the-go packet. I took it from him and flipped through it. Oh, the government just never gives up.

"I believe that clause 408 of the Adoption Act enacted in 1996 perfectly rebuts your argument, _sir_." He glanced at me, already annoyed.

"I'm sorry, young lady?"

"Look it up." My eyes flashed and his subconscious mind withered. As a mortal, he did not know me for who I was, but his deeply buried animal instincts recognized a superior power. Kelsey said polite goodbyes and promptly slammed the door in his face.

We'd had this problem for years. Of course, we as a "family" raise an eyebrow in the first place. I mean, seriously. Thirteen teenagers living under the same roof with absolutely no supervision? I think not. Our cover story is complex, yet it holds by law. We have an anonymous sponsor, who picked us all out of orphanages across the country as a sort of social experiment and placed us in one boarding house. Unrealistic by normal standards, but surprisingly, it holds up in court. The sponsor is completely made up, of course, but we have enough power (even in our mortal forms) to fix any problems arising from that.

Kelsey and I waited until the unpleasant little man pulled out of the driveway before walking out to go to the bus. By this time my nose was already well into the spine of _The Black Tattoo _by Sam Enthoven. All of a sudden I walked straight into Kelsey, who had stopped in her tracks about halfway down the driveway. "No. Freaking. Way," she said, enunciating every syllable with emphasis that she reserved for only one thing that I knew of: high school drama.

I looked up to see a sleek black convertible, engine purring in park on the side of the street. Leaning against the hood was (*sigh*) my newly found friend at Jump City High.

"Good morning Zach," I said.

Kelsey turned to me and lowered her bright green sunglasses. Her eyes were wide with excitement and her lips quivering into a disbelieving smile. "You know him?" she asked me.

I looked at Zach, now smirking at the situation. I found this to be vaguely annoying. "We're acquaintances," I replied, and pushed my face back into my book. There was silence, and I reluctantly looked up. Kelsey was tiptoeing away towards the bus, and when she saw me, she leapt on and the bus pulled away. I could see about fifteen male noses pressed up against the back windows trying to get another glance at the convertible.

"Looks like I'm your ride," Zach said easily with one of his smiles. I growled softly and rolled my eyes at him. "You do that well," he told me. "Roll your eyes, I mean."

"It seems like I'm going to get plenty of practice," I retorted, and ran over to the car. He opened the door for me and I slid in. However, I didn't stop at the passenger seat, but rather slid all the way over to the steering wheel.

His eyes immediately got wide and he quickly said "Uh uh, young lady. My toy."

"Either I drive or I walk."

Zach seemed to weigh the odds in his head. "If your behavior in the chemistry lab is anything like your driving skill, I am frightened for my life," he said meekly as he got in.

I decided to take that as a compliment and simply told him to buckle his seatbelt. Then I tightened my grip on the wheel and smiled.

"This looks like a nice car. Wonder how fast it goes."

Zach looked green. "Um… Soapi? Is this a good idea?"

I checked my watch. We had a good 20 minutes to get to school. "You pansy. We haven't even started driving yet. Plus," I added, "you don't get driven by a NASCAR certified 15-year-old every day."

"15??? You're _15_?!?!?!?! I thought you had your license!!!!! Get OUT OF THE CAR!!! I-"

Whatever the next words out of his mouth were going to be, I never heard them. The sudden wind tore them out of his throat and stole them to the furthermost corner of the earth.

XXXXXXX

"That was the singularly most terrifying twenty…" Zach looked at his watch. "Pardon me, eighteen minutes, of my entire life."

I smiled and began to fix my blue hair in the review mirror. "Admit it, you had fun."

He sighed and somewhat reluctantly unclasped his seatbelt. "Out. Now." I then slid out of the driver's seat and handed him his keys.

On the way to the door the conversation fell into a casual lull and I took the opportunity to examine him a little more. He doesn't have much fashion variation, I thought. Same dark jeans and shoes as always, today a bright blue t-shirt and a dark green jacket. Then I turned my gaze on my own tight grey jeans, long blue t-shirt, short black jacket, and checkered high-tops. Me either, I suppose.

"Sophiyanna?" I looked up to see June running towards me, waves of hair floating behind her light purple cotton top. After her came a few of her clones, albeit a bit slower. "Sophiyanna, please, it's Mikayla. Someone said something to her, and it looks like they're going to start a fight!"

Fights with Mikayla are not to be taken lightly. I guess Zach got the impression from my expression, judging by the hurried "Where is she, Juniper?"

June seemed to notice him for the first time. Her eyes scoured him, and the poor child shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Friend of yours, Sophiyanna?" I rolled my eyes and repeated his question. "By the gymnasium" was the answer, and I sprinted hard, leaving my books in Zach's car.

"Wait, you forgot your books!" He grabbed my messenger bag by the strap and took a step towards the gym.

June smiled. "Wait right there, young man." Zach raised an eyebrow and made a few more steps towards the gym. "I said WAIT!"

Zach looked down. The hand of the bossy girl was on his chest, and she was stronger than she looked. He looked up at Sophie's fleeing form and said quietly, "Please move, miss. Your sister needs her books."

"Oh, she does, does she? And I suppose you are the one who needs to give it to her? Why is that? Special friends, are you?"

He snorted. "If you're implying what I think you are implying, then no. But I really should be going to class."

When I got to science that day to work on the model airplane building, I stopped dead in my tracks. Zach was sitting at the table, calm as ever, but I could feel that something was wrong. I walked towards him and opened my mouth, but the bell cut me off. "Remember, NO TALKING." That was Dr. Nancy.

I got out my pen and notebook and wrote _What's wrong?_ Zach read this and scribbled back _Nothing. Why do you ask? _Before I could write more, he scratched out the latter part of the previous comment and wrote _Let's just get started on this._

I glanced around the room. A couple of girls in the corner had gotten out a laptop and were typing instructions to each other. A lab pair in the corner were signing to each other; I caught a glimpse of the American Sign Language textbook in their open backpacks. Smart. I approve.

We were in much better shape than any of them, from what I could see. We had a bit of the body and most of both wings. I quickly wrote out instructions for the completion of the wings and passed them over to Zach along with a bottle of glue. Then I set to work on the middle bit. My mind, however, was not on the airplane, being slowly assembled in front of me. It was on the strange feeling I had about Zach. I couldn't pinpoint it, but I knew something was off.

There. I had all the pieces for the bottom of the body and reached over Zach to get the glue. All of a sudden, I snatched my arm back, accidently knocking over the glue. Luckily it was a safety bottle for little kids, so none spilled, but I wasn't concerned about that.

His body was hot. Red hot. And I don't mean that in a sensual way. It was like passing my forearm through molten lava just by passing through the air around him. I stared at my arm, then looked into Zach's eyes. He looked back at me quizzically, and I shook my head and bent it down over the wooden pieces before me. I was shaking, however, and my mind was whirling. There was only one thing that could make a mortal feel like that: a god's interference.

Some god had messed around with Zach, and had been ignorant or arrogant enough to leave the traces of their passing on his person. There was no way to tell at that moment what had been done, but it was obvious that they hadn't tried to hide the fact that they had done something. What that something was would have to wait for later, but for now, all I knew was that I could hardly work on the airplane on the counter. When the bell rang at the end of the period, we stood up at the same time. He involuntarily stepped closer to me to pick up his bag, and I could feel the heat radiating off of him. I knew there was no danger to him from this, because the heat would only be felt by an immortal, but I was still slightly worried.

Who had messed around with Zach's wires, and why?


	9. Reference: List of Characters

Aphrodite- Kelsey

Apollo- Aiden

Ares- Garret

Artemis- Mikayla

Athena- Sophie

Demeter- Heather

Dionysus- Sam

Hades- Blake

Hephaestus- Eric

Hera- Juniper

Hermes- Isaac

Poseidon- Calder

Zeus- Don


End file.
